General Wesley Clark in Douglas County, Nevada

January 27, 2007
Transcription by Melange

Introduction (joined in progress): General Wesley Clark who was born in Chicago and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He distinguished himself early as an athlete and as a scholar, graduating first in his class from West Point. After that he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where he earned a Master’s Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. During 34 years of service in the United States Army, Wesley Clark rose to the rank of 4-star general as NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. It’s really impressive, isn’t it? In his final military command, General Clark commanded Operation Allied Force, NATO’s first major combat action, which saved 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo without the loss of a single American life and he’s responsible for peace-keeping in Bosnia.

After his retirement in 2000, he became an investment banker, author, commentator and businessman. In September 2003, he answered the call to stand as a Democratic candidate for the President of the United States where his campaign won the state of Oklahoma and launched him to national prominence before he returned to the private sector in February of 2004. He’s the author of the best-selling book Waging Modern War and more recently, Winning Modern War: Iraq, Terrorism and the American Empire. In the fall of 2006, General Clark was brought on as a Senior Fellow at UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Affairs. He currently serves in leadership roles within a number of non-profit public service organizations – way too many to enumerate, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, um the Center for American Progress and the National Endowment for Democracy.

General Clark’s awards and honors are far too many to list, but they include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Distinguished Service awards from the US Army, the State Department and the Defense Department, the Silver star, the Bronze star, the Purple Heart and honorary knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments. We’re proud to have General Wesley Clark with us here tonight, a potential presidential candidate and you’re about to hear from him. Please join me in a warm welcome for General Clark.

General Wesley Clark at UAW Local 1314 in Huntsville AL

January 15, 2007
Transcript by Melange

You have to understand also, I taught economics and political philosophy. I’ve worked in the civilian side of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House, I’m a businessman.  I have, like, four different businesses. I consult for various different companies and I’ve been around the block a few times. So I’ve got strong ideas.

I believe we need to raise the minimum wage. We need to help small businesses in this country. We need to fix the access to the healthcare system. We’ve got to stop the unfunded mandates, that are running out for the No Child Left Behind Act. We’ve got to raise and enhance teacher pay and morale and performance. We’ve got to get preschool education for every child in America.

In America we’ve got to take a much more proactive role in helping Americans help themselves.  Families need help.  Families need leadership.  Families need an advocate. I’m not talking about someone who hands out dollars or food stamps in a program and who says “Oh, I’m sorry, you don’t meet the criteria for the program.” I’m talking about people who know that family and will stand up and argue for that family. And if the programs don’t work to help our people, they’ll get those programs changed. So, I think we’ve got to really have a broad front program to help this country.  If we don’t, we’re not going to be competitive in the larger, global environment. And ultimately, America’s strength, as General Eisenhower said is not our Armed Forces. It’s America’s economy.  It’s the men and women who work and the men and women who put those companies together and lead those companies. And it’s teamwork. And it’s about teamwork.

I think our labor unions have a vital role in this. Our labor unions have to be strengthened.  We need the ability to do real training,

(Applause)

And real education through the unions.

(Applause)

I think the union movement is the real secret weapon of the American economy. We just have to turn it loose.